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Safe Haven (film)
| screenplay = | based on = | starring = | music = Deborah Lurie | cinematography = Terry Stacey | editing = Andrew Mondshein | studio = | distributor = Relativity Media | released = | runtime = 115 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = US $28 million | gross = US $97,594,140 }} Safe Haven is a 2013 American romance film starring Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel and Cobie Smulders. It was released theatrically in North America on February 14, 2013. The film was directed by Lasse Hallström, and is an adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' 2010 novel Safe Haven. The film was originally set for a February 8 release. Plot A terrified woman, Katie, flees her house in Boston, having been in the possession of a bloody knife. After taking shelter with a neighbor, she is at the bus station trying to flee town. She buys a bus ticket with her hair now cropped and bleached and stops in the small town of Southport, North Carolina. At the general store, she introduces herself as Katie Feldman. After getting a job as a waitress, and renting a small house on the edge of town, Katie befriends her neighbor, Jo. She meets Alex Wheatley, a widowed father of two young children, Josh, who has a strained relationship with him, and Lexie, who operates the local general store. Alex soon gives Katie a bicycle so she won't have to walk. It's not too long before Katie and Alex start a relationship, and she becomes like a mother to Josh and Lexie. Meanwhile, Kevin Tierney, a Boston police detective, prepares wanted posters for a woman named "Erin" which describes that she is wanted for first-degree murder. Alex sees Erin's wanted poster in the police station and notices the picture bears a striking resemblance to Katie. He confronts Katie with the information, causing a huge fight. They break up, and Katie moves out of her house. As Katie is about to leave town, however, Alex intercepts her and says that he has fallen in love with her. Katie returns his love, and decides to stay in Southport. She tells Alex that she fled to Southport to escape her abusive and alcoholic husband. They got in a fight, and she stabbed him in self-defense before she fled south. Meanwhile, Kevin is suspended for creating the wanted posters, whereupon it is revealed that he is Katie's (Erin's) abusive and alcoholic husband. Enraged, he breaks into Katie's former neighbor's home back in Boston and finds the phone number to the Southport restaurant where Katie works. Arriving just in time for the town's Fourth of July parade, a severely intoxicated Kevin sees Katie kissing Alex, which enrages him. That night, Katie has a dream that she is standing on the docks watching the fireworks when Jo comes up and tells Katie that "he" is here. Katie wakes up in the convenience store next to a sleeping Lexie when Kevin suddenly appears and confronts her, demanding that she go back with him. She refuses and tells him to leave. Kevin pulls a gun and pours gasoline all over the store, with the intent to burn it down. When he hesitates, Katie buys time by faking sympathy for him and agreeing to return home with him. When he lets his guard down, she pushes him into the water; however, a firework spark lands on the gasoline, igniting a fire that engulfs the store. Alex sees the burning store, quickly makes his way across the harbor by boat, and saves Lexie. Meanwhile, Katie tries to fight off Kevin; during the struggle, the gun goes off and kills Kevin, ridding her of him forever. In the aftermath of the fire, Alex recovers several letters which were written by his late wife Carly before she died. The letters were prepared ahead of time for memorable events such as Josh's eighteenth birthday and Lexie's wedding day. Alex gives Katie a letter with the words "To Her" on the envelope; the letter thanks the recipient for making Alex happy. Enclosed with the letter is a photo of Alex's late wife, whom Katie is astonished to discover was actually Jo. This means that Jo was Carly, in the form of an angel, who led Katie to her husband, Alex. Cast * Josh Duhamel as Alex Wheatley, A widower who struggles to raise his two kids until he meets Katie. * Julianne Hough as Erin Tierney/Katie Feldman, A young woman who flees her abusive husband and meets Alex. * Cobie Smulders as Carly Jo, A woman who befriended Katie. * David Lyons as Detective Kevin Tierney, and Katie’s abusive husband. * Mimi Kirkland as Lexie Wheatley, Daughter of Alex and who befriended Katie * Noah Lomax as Josh Wheatley, Son of Alex who has a rough and strained relationship with his father due to his mother's death. * Irene Ziegler as Mrs. Feldman * Robin Mullins as Maddie * Red West as Roger. This was West's last film role before his death in July 2017 * Juan Carlos Piedrahita as Detective Ramirez * Cullen Moss as Deputy Bass * Mike Pniewski as Lieutenant Robinson Production The film began principal photography on June 18, 2012 in Wilmington and Southport, North Carolina."Nicholas Sparks movie 'Safe Haven' starts shooting in Wilmington". WWayTV3.com. Retrieved October 25, 2012. Parts of it were filmed in Louisiana and the opening scene with Katie on the Coach America bus is on the Linn Cove Viaduct along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Grandfather Mountain in Linville, North Carolina. Reception Box office Safe Haven grossed US$71,349,120 in North America and US$26,245,020 in other territories for a worldwide total of US$97,594,140. In its opening weekend, the film grossed US$21,401,594, finishing third at the box office behind A Good Day to Die Hard (US$24,834,845) and Identity Thief (US$23,674,295). Critical reception Critical reaction for Safe Haven was largely negative."Episode #127 – Safe Haven", "The Flop House", 1 June 2013, Retrieved on 29 November 2014.Sharkey, Betsy. "Review: 'Safe Haven' can't find refuge from a cheesy story", "LA Times", 13 February 2013. Retrieved on 29 November 2014.Holden, Stephen. "Her Date Is a Single Dad; His, a Possible Killer", "New York Times", 13 February 2013. Retrieved on 29 November 2014.Anderson,Melissa. "Safe Haven: Unable to Ignite", 13 February 2013. Retrieved on 29 November 2014.Roeper, Richard. "Safe Haven", 12 February 2013. Retrieved on 29 November 2014. Peter Bradshaw, writing for The Guardian, called Safe Haven's setting "a sugary vision of small-town America that does not correspond with the real world at any point."Bradshaw, Peter. "Safe Haven – review", "The Guardian", 28 February 2013, Retrieved on 29 November 2014. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film zero stars out of four, and concluded his review by stating: "I hate Safe Haven. It's a terrible thing to do to your Valentine."Travers, Peter. "Safe Haven", "Rolling Stone", 14 February 2013, Retrieved on 29 November 2014. The film has a score of 34 on Metacritic, a "generally unfavorable" score, based on 33 reviews."Safe Haven Reviews", "Metacritic", Retrieved on 29 November 2014. At Rotten Tomatoes it has a rating of 12%, based on reviews from 137 critics. Accolades Home media Safe Haven was released on DVD and Blu-ray on May 7, 2013. References External links * * * * * Category:2013 films Category:2010s romance films Category:2010s thriller films Category:American films Category:American romance films Category:American thriller films Category:English-language films Category:Films about domestic violence Category:Films about families Category:Films about widowhood Category:Films based on romance novels Category:Films based on works by Nicholas Sparks Category:Films directed by Lasse Hallström Category:Films set in Boston Category:Films set in North Carolina Category:Films shot in North Carolina Category:Relativity Media films Category:Temple Hill Entertainment films Category:Romantic thriller films